Nottingham Forest are eyeing a late move to sign Everton star Dwight McNeil before Monday's transfer deadline, according to Sky Sports News.
Sean Dyche's side have had a difficult season so far and currently sit five points above the relegation zone, ahead of West Ham, while they have also qualified for the Europa League playoff round following a comfortable 4-0 win over Ferencvaros in midweek.
But Forest are keen to strengthen their squad ahead of the transfer deadline in order to climb the table and move away from a relegation scrap, and the manager has identified a familiar face as someone he would like to bring in.
Sean Dyche Wants McNeil Reunion
Dwight McNeil
McNeil, who has been compared to Declan Rice for his set-piece ability by Chris Sutton, has struggled for regular game time at the Hill Dickinson Stadium so far this season, finding himself behind Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish in the pecking order for the wide positions.
That has seen Forest take a look at his situation in the final days of the transfer window, as Dyche looks to add more attacking options to his squad, but any deal is not expected to be easy to do.
The Toffees have seen Grealish ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken foot which requires surgery, and that has left David Moyes light on options in attack.
Everton could be open to allowing the former Burnley man to depart and reunite with his former manager if they get a replacement through the door, but with time such a big factor at the moment, it would take something coming out of nowhere for this to become a done deal.
Dyche Doesn't Need McNeil
sean dyche
Dyche clearly is a big fan of McNeil, and it's obvious how much he trusts him to do a job. But when you look at the Nottingham Forest squad currently, a winger is arguably the last thing they need.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Dan Ndoye, Morgan Gibbs-White, James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, and Dilane Bakwa are all capable of playing out wide, and are all better options than McNeil going forward. While the 26-year-old may be better defensively, Forest have the firepower to score goals and avoid the relegation that way, rather than defending and hoping to snatch results.
The arrival of McNeil would mean that someone more talented, and more of a match-winner will have to be sidelined to make space for him, and it's just not necessary.
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